Mission

THE BICYCLE LOUNGEEXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Bicycle Lounge provides two forms of bicycle repair and restoration services. First, we offer a professional service, and second we offer a cooperative service. Professional services resemble standard services offered in mainstream bicycle shops. Cooperative services are education-oriented, aiming to instruct novice cyclists about bicycle maintenance and safety.

HISTORY:
The Bicycle Lounge started in Riverside, California in 2008 as a bicycle repair co-op, modelled on Los Angeles’ Bike Kitchen. We operated for two years from a home workshop, then moved into a shipping container provided by the University of California, Riverside.

We opened regularly on weekends and, volunteer dependent, on weekday evenings. We were staffed by volunteers and local mechanics. We sponsored regular seminars tailored to local needs. Seminars included:

What you can fix with what you can carry

Basic wheel building

All about drivetrains

CURRENTLY:
Bicycle Lounge founder Brian Sorrell emigrated to New Zealand in 2012. He is currently reviving the project with a specific focus on educating young people about how bicycles work and how to ride them safely. In Devonport, where he is starting, there are few resources of this kind available, and given the surge in bicycle riding locally, the community will benefit significantly from the project.

GOALS:
We will begin as a community service project, funded by those interested in conventional bicycle services, and redirecting resources into creating educational seminars and refurbishing donated bicycles. Refurbished bicycles will either be sold to fund further efforts, or donated to schools and other community groups.

Once established, we will determine whether it is viable to open a retail space to further fund our efforts. We will retain our commitment to community services and education, and most especially to giving old bikes new life.